Pro bike mechanic course here I come!

All My Stars Aligned wrote: »

Often thought of doing the same. Look forward to hearing how you get on.

Will post up my opinions/experiences when I finish the course.

Off to a good start today, covering basic workshop etiquette, safety and overviews of tyres/tubes, brakes and gears. Bit of dismantling and rebuilding with more indepth stuff to come as the course progresses.

CramCycle wrote: »

How is the course so far, worthwhile?

I've been fettling/fixing/breaking bikes for 30yrs and I'm still finding it interesting, picking up some valuable tips and tricks of the trade as we go through each section of a bike. In the past 18 months alone I've renovated close to 150 bikes of all types for Rebike, a charity initiative I started up in 2014 that provides very cheap or free bikes to the local community in Waterford.

Classes are small so there's plenty of support from Mark, the guy instructing, who's a full-time mechanic with Rothar in Dublin.

Other lads who have a little less knowledge are finding it informative and helpful. Nothing is rushed and there's plenty of time for people to ask questions or get 1-to-1 support.

Thumbs up from me, so far.

So, just to follow up...

Completed the course this past week and I have to say it was very good.

I have been repairing and assembling bikes for over 30 years on a part-time basis and I still learned some very valuable insights, tips and tricks to make my work easier...in the past couple of years I've repaired probably a couple of hundred bikes, from kiddies bikes to road bikes and everything in between as part of the work we do at Rebike, so I did not go into the course as a relative novice - there were lads on the course who did not have as much experience and the pace was set so that they were not left behind, which I felt was a good thing.

The course is aimed at getting you to a level where you can competently work as a bike mechanic in a shop/business, performing general repairs, overhauls and bike builds. It is City & Guilds and FETAC accredited to Level 2 when completed successfully. I have a BSC in Pharmaceutical Science & Process Technology but bikes are where my heart lies so this qualification is just as satisfying, if not more so!

It does not include hydraulic suspension repair and servicing, electronic gear shift systems, or electric propulsion systems for electric bikes.

Everything else you are likely to come across in the day-to-day duties as a bike mechanic is covered in-depth, at a comfortable pace, with plenty of time allowed for questions to make sure you understand each module.

Mark, the instructor for our course, is friendly, approachable, very helpful and highly knowledgeable in his field of expertise. He was always happy to guide someone if they struggled with something.

All in all, I would recommend this course if you are in a position to take it.

Feel free to post or pm me if you have any queries.

Paul.

CramCycle wrote: »

Any chance you changed your mind about cycling in Dublin

oh jaysus no! ye take more chances on a daily commute than evel knievel did in his entire career!

Farloo wrote: »

Hi, is this a full time course and how long does it take to complete? Is it expensive? Thanks!

Hi, there are two options:

One is run over a period of a couple of months, attending classes once a week.

the other (which I went for) is the intensive course run over a two week period.

cost is €800.